Phillip Astley ran off to join the cavalry. Literally. At the age of 17, he joined the 15th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons, a unit of the British army. Noticing that riders who could perform tricks received more attention, he picked up performing and invented what we know as the “circular ring.” He called it ‘The Ride’.

Spectators easily gathered around The Ride and the centrifugal force created as the horse traveled around helped riders balance and perform “feats of horsemanship.” It was not long before Phillip spiced up the act by hiring musicians, acrobats, clowns, and animal trainers.

Phillip Astley had (unknowingly) created what is known as the ‘modern circus’. It would be decades before circuses became mobile and required covering from inclement weather. Eventually, tents replaced open-air coverings. Eclectic mixes of performers created circus magic under what became known as “The Big Top.”

Phillip Astley is not known for his “feats of horsemanship.” He is known for having the insight and ability to gather an unlikely group of performers under one Big Tent.

It is not hard to see church as a circus: academics, artists, clowns, and even magicians. An unlikely group of partners which typically gathers under their own little tents. Unfortunately, the Church is better known for highlighting its historical differences than for celebrating a shared Gospel of hope and courage. Big Tent Christianity* creates space for believers and seekers, for the faithful and the faithless, and for the saints and the sinners. Big Tent Christianity nurtures hope and courage by creating room for doubt and uncertainty. Big Tent Christianity welcomes strangers. Big Tent Christianity wonders what the questions are (especially if Jesus is the answer).

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages..."

A disclaimer is necessary, however. When Christianity tries to be "The Greatest Show on Earth," bad stuff happens. Big Tent Christianity will never be “the Greatest Show on Earth,” but more like circus camp. Circus camp is fun to watch... when kids do it. When adults get involved it can get ugly to watch. Circus camp is for participating, not spectating. Put on a clown suit, some tights, and learn a trick or two. It can (and should) be fun. Corporations use circus training to build teams.

I don’t think it is too much to say that play can save your life. It certainly has salvaged mine. Life without play is a grinding, mechanical existence organized around doing the things necessary for survival. Play is the stick that stirs the drink. It is the basis of all art, games, books, sports, movies, fashion, fun, and wonder—in short, the basis of what we think of as civilization. Play is the vital essence of life. It is what makes life lively.” ― Stuart Brown, Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul

Come one and come all. Let's gather under the Big Tent. Come join the circus.

*The term "Big Tent Christianity" was coined by my friend Phillip Clayton. "Big Tent Christianity" gatherings have even been held. While I believe my use here is consistent with Phillip's intent (as I understand it), I have not attempted to represent his "Big Tent" project with precision. To learn more about Phillip and his work, click here.﻿﻿

Each and every morning, I want to wake up “wide eyed” - ready for wonder and ready to love. Not fluffy love. Not sentimental love, but...

…love like a freight train rolling over me…love like a hard rain pounding on the windshield I can hardly see*

Wide eyed people are astonished easily. They are awake and aware. They have not lost their sense of wonder. They are curious and willing to ask questions without fear; questions that could easily be dismissed as childish, naive, or obvious.

I want to wake up each morning “wide eyed” and I need “wide eyed” people to do life with so I can learn to love those dearest to me, love my neighbor, and maybe even love my “enemy” with "love like a freight train.”

A “wide eyed” Christianity would help me and my “wide eyed” compatriots with learning to "love like a freight train." Wide eyed Christianity is awake and aware of all that is going on in the name of God - the good, the bad and the ugly.

It was 1973. I was just shy of 4 years old. We packed our yellow Dodge Dart and headed west to California from Yonkers, New York. I’m told I acquired a good deal of enthusiasm for the song “Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head,” as we snaked across the country towards “sunny California”. “It Never Rains in California” was also on heavy rotation. The irony was not lost on us as we crossed the border in a downpour. Surprisingly, I have no memory of the trip. Surprisingly because I have memories of Yonkers (pre-California) and many of our first year in California.

One evening, ten years after arriving in California, one particular memory of our early days in California returned. It was a lizard which appeared TV (a Bearded Dragon) which prompted the memory.

"You know," I said, "we had those kind of lizards in California."

I continued.

"One day, I caught my sleeve on iron railing near some stairs and an embankment. Just as soon as I realized I was caught, an ocean of those two-foot-long Bearded Dragons came charging out from under the bushes like I had awakened them from their lair. I screamed and cried and screamed like the world was ending until my mom ran out and unhooked me from the railing. I think I thought they were going to eat me or something."

As I finished the story, my parents gently interjected to help clarify the story. It turns out, the only place I would have seen a Bearded Dragon other than on TV is in a zoo. Bearded Dragons, as you may already know, are not native to North America. In fact, the only place a Bearded Dragon might be spotted "in its natural habitat” is Australia. Nonetheless, I stood my ground: Bearded Dragons.

My protest was brief, and despite my distinct memory I came to accept that the lizards I encountered that day are called “common side-blotched lizards.” Common side-blotched lizards are two inches (not feet) long. These lizards are are more likely to walk on two legs and speak with a British accent than devour a 4 year old child in Lafayette, CA.

Thankfully (and despite my embarrassment), we all had a good hearted giggle about the matter.

While the story amuses me, it leaves me somewhat perplexed. Common side-blotched lizards are almost as common as houseflies in the East Bay of San Francisco and I never feared them. I chased them and learned to catch them without pulling their tails off (the lizards can “shed” and regenerate their tails to protect from predators...and elementary school kids).

What strikes me all these years later about it is the poetry of the event.

Record scratch. Poetry and event. I heard the needle dragged across the record. Twice. One for each word:poetryand event. I promise I will get back to this shortly. Bear with me.

Before I go any further, I want to try to make my intentions as clear as I can. We preachers have earned our reputations as silver tongued, sharp tongued, and even double tongued. Duly noted. I lay my cards and plead guilty and on the table in the name of a cause I wish to take up together. I want to keep in mind my preacher’s propensity for pretension and peddling panaceas.

Jesus’ resurrection is in dire need of rescuing. It has been hijacked. It needs rescuing from the clutches of a group who has kept it to themselves in order to save their livelihood. It has been commandeered and lives may have been lost. My ambition here is to rescue Jesus’ resurrection from the guilty party - the professionals - the "teachers of the law," the historians, the philosophers, the theologians, the Biblical scholars, and the clergy. These people, "forgive them for they know not what they do,” bear a resemblance to some of the people who were the most threatened by Jesus. Those who were threatened by Jesus were those who profited most from prevailing structures. Simply put, these structures divided people into “insiders” and “outsiders.” Jesus had a particular interest in challenging (to put it mildly) these structures. At the very least, Jesus taught that the “Kingdom” (the realm, the economy, the commonwealth) of God was within each of us, not within hierarchies and rituals.

In the last few hundred years, an additional line has slowly emerged and embedded itself into structures. Over a few hundred years, a translucent line turned opaque, then finally solid. This line gives the impression that, again, there are “insiders” and “outsiders.” In this case, the insiders are those who “believe” and the outsiders are those who do not “believe.” The believers and the non-believers.

As I point a finger at “the professionals” I am aware that I am simultaneously pointing three fingers at myself. I, myself, stand as one of the guilty party. Together, we have kidnapped Jesus’ resurrection and held it hostage for ransom. The professionals have been given (and willingly accepted) the power to decide who “gets it” and who does not. The professionals have had the power to decide who is on the inside and the outside in the realm of belief, but no longer. They have been relieved of their power. They have had their day and now it is dusk.

I am one of the professionals. I know I need to work extra hard here to earn and keep your trust. I want to be transparent, or at least as transparent as any “professional” can be while playing with the very combustibles which got us into this predicament in the first place. My ambition at this moment, is to neither embrace nor rejected any orthodoxy but to participate in, to become aware of, an event, a happening which is contained in this word: Resurrection.

The discussion regarding who a church is trying to "reach" is a tricky one. Even the question itself is loaded with colonialist undertones. There is, however, a pragmatic aspect to the question which deserves attention:

Who is your audience?

Writers, entertainers, and perhaps especially comedians, ask this question. Ventriloquist Jeff Dunham is one of the top ​earning comedians in the world today. He garnered his fame, not in small part, due to one of his characters (dummies) named "Achmed the Dead Terrorist". Dunham and Achmed have millions of views on Youtube.

You might imagine this bit plays better in Cleveland than in Abu Dhabi. In fact, "Achmed" was banned in Malasia. Realizing, however, that his audience expected Achmed, Dunham resolved the issue by introducing Achmed's French cousin, Jacques, the dead French terrorist. It was Achmed in disguise.

Dunham's interest is comedy, not social commentary. However, can we speak of the unspeakable, like terrorism, when it is unsafe to laugh? Few things are more poignant than the tender, personal stories told at wakes and memorial services which make us smile, even laugh. Some of the most important public figures in the days following 9/11 were comedians - those who helped us learn to laugh again. It is in these tender moments when "they" becomes "us".

As I reflect on how we might communicate as a church, I am inspired by many who do it well in a faith-based context. GeezMagazine.com describes itself this way:

​ "The Geez project is a discussion among people of faith seeking social justice. Our readers and writers express this through art, activism, contemplation and a “more-grounded, inter-connected” approach to living."

To potential writers, they say this about their audience:

"Audience

​​Write as though your audience will include:

disgruntled children of hook-line-sinker conservative Christians

spirited activists

over-churched souls (who still believe the world needs some soulful change)

people who haven’t darkened a church door in years but can’t help but get drawn into the discussion of faith

those who feel an irresistible urge to downshift their lives​"​

Churches are in the same dangerous waters as politicians when seeking to appeal to an audience. They are both susceptible to a preoccupation with sound bites. Perhaps Jeff Dunham understands this and lets the dummies do the talking while he lives his life.

Christmas is a season that begins on Christmas Day. It is a season of celebration, a "feast". Advent, the month preceding Christmas, is considered a "fasting" season. Christmas arrives and we celebrate ("feast") for twelve days (two Sundays). It is difficult to quiet the commercialism which accompanies Advent. However, a quietness can emerge afterward which we can receive as one final gift.

In this spirit, I share a video capturing rarely heard voices - Christians in the middle east who have celebrated the "Feast of the Nativity" since Christ was in their midst. Beautiful images accompany the hymn.

We watched this together today at FBC, the first Sunday of Christmas. A group of thirty sat in a circle, sang, prayed, heard readings, and enjoyed this video. Sung in Arabic and including an English translation, it felt especially poignant this year.

Growing up, my family had a “Christmas Calendar.” Made of green felt, it hung on a wall or door. Small pockets held miniature items made of pipe cleaners, buttons, and clothespins. Each pocket, numbered in glitter glue, counted down. Each evening, with great anticipation, we removed one item from one pocket to mark the number of days remaining until Christmas.

As we grew up, our excitement about the activity waned and one-by-one the different crafts living in each pocket began to fade and our felt Christmas Calendar was replaced by day-planners (I was a Franklin Planner guy), Personal Digital Assistants (I had a Cassiopeia and numerous Palm Pilots), and finally smart phones.

As adults, we can learn to embrace this period of "waiting-for-Christmas" as a gift. It is one of Christianity’s great treasures. Western Christianity calls this season “Advent,” as in “arrival.” Eastern Christianity calls it the “Nativity Fast.”

Child-sized felt calendars are for a child-sized Advent. As adults, however, we need an adult sized Advent.

Most people understandably see waiting and fasting as in-between times, periods between two important moments. Consequently, we endure waiting and fasting like we might hold our breath. However, Advent is not an in-between time. It stands on it’s own, just as the season of Christmas (or Christmastide) lasts twelve days (thus "the twelve days of Christmas”) and stands on its own as a season of "feasting".

Advent invites us to wait and not hold our breath, but to breath and be attentive and awake. Usually, we endure mundane tasks. When we wash dishes, we are not actually washing dishes, but thinking about what we would rather be doing or what we will do once we are done. When we are in conversation, we are not really listening, but thinking about what we will say next. When we are driving a car, we tolerate the time that passes until we arrive at out destination.

Rather than hold our breath during Advent, we are invited to a waiting which awakens us, a waiting which alerts us to forgotten longings and hidden joy, a waiting which allows the Kingdom or realm of God to emerge, a waiting in which a precious gift will arise.

In a recent survey, more than half of the parents who participated listed their stress levels at a seven out of ten between June first and July thirty-first. I can only imagine these numbers rising with the onset of the school year as they do in my home. In the process of reading the more thorough documentation of stress in recent years, I’m realizing that stress and anxiety are taking much more of a toll on my health—and a more widespread toll on the health of other people—than I had initially understood. Reading these reports is almost leading to an additional feeling helplessness; feeling stressed about stress. Connecting Reduces StressMy good friend Michael Lee Stallard has researched and written extensively on what he calls a "connection culture." In a recent interview for Forbes.com he says, "Human beings are hardwired to connect. When we feel connection and experience social support we are less likely to go into a state of stress response."What is a "stress response"?Stallard says, "The body senses when threats are present and it goes into stress response mode, sending blood, glucose and oxygen to the heart, lungs and big muscles like the thighs. At the same time, the body shortchanges the brain, digestive, immune and reproductive systems, leaving us more vulnerable to memory loss, digestive disorders, infection and illness. The body is preparing to fight or flee. When we are stuck in a state of stress response for a long period of time, it drains the life out of us."Shortly after my arrival at First Baptist Newton in 2011, we were fortunate to have Stallard participate in a leadership retreat and help us begin creating a culture of connection, based on shared identity, empathy and understanding. How to Bless a BackpackOur Blessing of the Backpacks will hopefully, in some small way, remedy this by creating a simple opportunity to connect with others.To bless a backpack, we invite a child or student (or adult!) to receive a brief prayer of encouragement: that their trusty backpacks would remind them of their connections to this caring community.Another way to “bless a backpack” is by helping families who struggle to fill their backpacks this September, especially nutritionally. Blessings in a Backpack (www.blessingsinanbackpack.com) reminds us that "hunger doesn't take weekends off" and provides elementary schoolchildren who are on the federal Free and Reduced Price Meal Program with a backpack of food to take home for 38 weekends during the school year. If you plan to participate, I encourage you to give your child the money to hand in, by which you will not only be fostering a connection with your child and with the family you are providing to, but also helping your child continue learning about generosity and connection.

On Sunday, we looked at living careful, thoughtful, and soulful lives; lives like Warren Berggren.

Warren was a longtime member of FBC while living in Boston between 1972-1989.​ He​ and his wife ​championed health as human right​ ​and led serving trips ("mission trips") to Haiti with students from FBC.

Excerpt: "July 29, 2015 – The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health community was saddened to learn of the death on January 30, 2015, of Warren Berggren, MPH ’63, DPH ’67, who passed away in Golden, Colorado, at age 85. Together with his wife and public health partner, the physician Gretchen Glode Berggren, SM ’66, Berggren launched groundbreaking community health programs in several countries in the developing world, including in Haiti, where they worked at the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer in Deschapelles for many years."

During Easter preparation, the choir asked me about the choice of "Into the Fire" as a solo for Easter. It is a choice that needed context I had not provided for them, so I am glad they asked. I had already written a brief introduction for the service which I expanded on. We are putting it on the blog by request and with bit of magic from Mark Heim. -- Sean

What was Bruce Springsteen's song "Into the Fire" doing in our Easter worship? It is not a conventional choice, but then we are not trying to be a conventional church. When you love someone enough to endure a painful experience or great hardship, we say things like, "I would do anything for you," "I'd walk through fire for you," or even "I'd go to hell and back for you."When describing Jesus' journey this week, the earliest Christian theologians said, that Jesus went to hell and back again for the sake others, for the sake of those he loved; "love without measure". It is even written down in an early statement of Christian belief which appeared in a letter around 390AD and is sometimes referred to as the Symbol of the Apostles. In the short list of essential things, it says Jesus "suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead."

Bruce Springsteen wrote "Into the Fire" with some specific people in mind who stepped into fire, who went to hell and back for the sake of others. He was thinking of 9/11 and people who went "up the stairs" into the fire. He may not have had Jesus specifically in mind when he wrote it....but it sure sounds like he could have. Part of worship involves going back to live inside those saving events 2000 years ago and to make them part of us. Another part involves looking at significant events in our lives and world right now (like 9/11) and seeing Christ and our faith already reflected in the midst of them. The chorus, which we all sang with such urgency on Sunday, seems like a loop of prayer and song we address to that risen one who has been through the fire:

﻿"Pick up any newspaper or magazine, open the TV, and you'll be bombarded with suggestions of how to have a successful life. Some of these suggestions are deeply unhelpful to our own projects and priorities - and we should take care." Alain de Botton﻿

Many people equate success with the ability to have what they want, when they want it. It is "the pursuit of happiness", or by another term, "The American Dream". However, the "the pursuit of happiness" and the struggle to discern the difference between wants and needs creates anxiety.The antidote for that anxiety is helping others succeed when success can be defined by helping others meet their needs. Because we struggle with knowing the difference between what we want and what we need, love, then, is to be available to the struggle of another's 'pursuit of happiness" - to enter into the ambiguity if not-knowing.

The difference, then, between needs and wants is no longer as relevant, anxiety is released, and our capacity to 'love without measure' increases.

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